Seth

I finished my 2nd Ed’s Animal yesterday. This one is Seth a Wensleydale sheep. I couldn’t resist making this cutie, my website isn’t called the Stitching Sheep for nothing!

Even though it has been a few months since I have made his cousin Simon, it was so much easier making the 2nd one. All of the tips and tricks I learned when making Simon, and which I wrote about in an earlier blogpost I could put into practice. Since Seth has more fleece than Simon ‘fleecing’

Since Seth has more fleece than Simon ‘fleecing’ him took even longer. I think it took me well over a week to get his body and head covered. I was more methodical about the fleecing though as I started at the top and worked my way done, ensuring he was properly covered without any stone-coloured yarn showing through. When I made Simon I was very random when stitching the fleecing which means he is not as well covered. Since his body is made from cream yarn too, it didn’t really matter too much. Half-way through Seth I wondered though why I couldn’t I have gone for a website called the Stitching Cat, Cow , or any other animal without fleece?

However, when I was looking through the Ed’s animals book, the Toft website, my postcard pattern collection and The Imaginarium of Edward’s Menagerie facebook group for inspiration I might have just settled for another sheep as my next project…..

I really wanted to do a project which involves colour changes so I can make more difficult patterns. I think I will, therefore, try and make Dominic the Swaledale Sheep. He will be a nice project to take onto the Eurostar with me when I travel to London in three weeks time. It is so much easier (and requires less stuff) to crochet on public transport rather than to embroider.

I will take Seth with me too so he can visit the Toft stand at the Knitting & Stitching show at Alexandra Palace, and photobomb my pictures of the event. I will get some different coloured yarns too so I can make Douglas the Highland Cow and Jed the Border Collie next.

Kerry Lord, founder and creative director of Toft, has actually just released a new book, called Edward’s Crochet Doll Emporium. I wasn’t quite keen on crocheting dolls, as I really prefer the animals. However, at the release show on Create and Craft last Friday Kerry mentioned that the clothes you can stitch for the dolls also fit the animals! How much fun is that! I just have to stitch my Sheep a pair of dungarees, a woolly hat or a cool scarf now. This means a copy of Kerry’s book might just find a way into my shopping bag at Alexandra Palace!

This afternoon I will be working on my Wrens though and looking through some of my Crewelwork books trying to decide what I would like to stitch for my first RSN certificate project. All in all a nice prospect for a sunny Sunday afternoon.